Inner Sadness
by Crystabel.Shalott
Summary: Annie is an art student at university and Finnick a marine biology one. "She is a girl he never talked to, but desperately wants to. No, it isn't correct: he talked to her a couple of times but she always replied with monosyllables and an annoyed voice."


**Author's note:** Modern day/AU.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own 'The Hunger Games', they belong to Suzanne Collins.

Inner Sadness:

There is a girl who lives on his same floor in the student residential.

There is a girl with big green eyes, pale skin and gentle brown curls that he always sees in between classes, walking in the corridors or painting outside.

A girl who wears floral summer dresses or jeans with too large t-shirts.

A girl who usually has her hair fall down on her back, and when she holds it up it's usually because she has a painter's brush in them and forgot to take it out.

Finnick sometimes meets in the elevator or in the common kitchen. It happened that he met her when he was taking a random girl to his room, and she would just look at him with a disappointed glance. She is a girl he never talked to, but desperately wants to. No, it isn't correct: he talked to her a couple of times but she always replied with monosyllables and an annoyed voice.

The girl's name?

Annie Cresta.

She is an art student in her last year, a prodigy they say. She already sold some of her paintings, not for large sums of money but she is making her way in the art field and that's something you can't say of the next person. Twenty-one and she already has clients who crave for her paintings: everyone says she is going to make really good money with her art, if she continues this way. She doesn't care about the money, she doesn't want to be paid millions for her paintings, she could work in a small art gallery in a town forgotten by everyone and still be happy because she paints for herself.

Annie Cresta may be a prodigy but she is also a broken girl: involved in a car accident at the age of sixteen, she saw her boyfriend die in front of her, his blood splatter on the car's dashboard and she has been traumatized ever since. Painting frees her mind of the nightmares, it makes her reach the long wanted tranquility. It makes her feel _free. _

Not many people know about Annie's past, why should they care? Her clients only want her paintings and her classmates know a more stable version of herself, in comparison to what she was like when it just happened. Besides she often keeps to herself, and never talks much. People just don't get curious about her.

And yet Finnick Odair noticed her, perhaps a little too much, and so Annie's great plan of living a tranquil life is ruined.

Annie can't understand why he noticed her. They didn't meet that often and they weren't studying the same thing: Finnick was studying marine biology, a subject that had as much things in common with art as an elephant with a butterfly. So why her of all girls? What made her special? Not that special is the word Annie would use. She doesn't believe he is serious about her, because all the girls he brought back to his room don't exactly go unnoticed, especially since her room is two apart from Finnick's, and it happens that she has to go out and sees them making out just in front of her.

Finnick Odair is fucked up just like she is. That is the conclusion to which she reached: he doesn't know what he wants, and he isn't sincere with himself.

An example? Finnick is in his last year of Marine biology, and still lets everyone think he studies it because he is clever and there are a lot of companies that pay good money for a job related to it.

Everyone says that he is clever and ambitious, but it isn't true. He has a passion for science and he loves the ocean so he combined the two things together. He wants to work in the defense of the ecosystem, try to find solutions against extinction of species. His a bit of a dreamer: he wants to make the world a better place.

The thing that makes Annie angry and annoyed is that he is insincere with her too. He tells her he cares and wantes a chance, and then has one night stands. That isn't caring, it's lying.

To be fair to Finnick, he doesn't know too why he noticed her. But he knows when it started. It was in their second year, he was dragged by a girl to an exposition of the art class at university and Annie was among the group of painters whose works were shown. He saw her and thought that she was pretty, not like other girls no, she seemed to have stepped out of a Pre-Raphaelite painting. Then he saw her paintings and the idea he had of Annie Cresta changed a little. She wasn't just a pretty face anymore: he felt like he knew Annie. Like he knew how she ticked. Because he saw one of her paintings and felt like it was an open window to her soul and to his one too. It was like she painted his exact same feelings.

It is something strange considering that he never felt the slightest interest towards art and yet, when he was dragged to that exposition during his second year at university he felt like he understood everything. From that moment on he had been interested in her, and with the time passing and the number of rejections rising, it all became unbearable.

Why? Because he had actually fall for her. Which is funny because Finnick Odair doesn't fall in love, he doesn't do relationships.

From that moment on he wanted to know her better even if the plan didn't work exactly as wanted it to go.

"Well Finnick your plan didn't work because of you. Seriously you are probably driving that girl mad! You tell her you care for her and ask her out, and then you bring the first girl you meet to your room. This is something subtle even for you!"

"Jo, I haven't seen another girl in the last four months"

He could almost hear Johanna choke on the other side of the line.

"You serious?"

"Yes. And she still doesn't want to go out with me"

"I like her. Seriously, I want to meet this girl who resisted your charms for five years and still does. You know it doesn't happen often, we could make a club"

"Very funny"

Finnick is interrupted by a knock on his door.

"Wait a moment"

He gets up from bed and walks to the door when he opens it he is surprised. Standing in front of him there is Annie, wearing a pair of skinny jeans and an emerald t-shirt that falls down from one shoulder. Finnick gasps for surprise, she is really the last person he imagined to be here.

"Hi" he says with a smile, a little one, and it takes all his efforts not to grin like an idiot because finally Annie Cresta has acknowledged his existence. Annie Cresta knocked at his door: he could dance for happiness.

"Jo, gotta go. Annie's here"

"What?" but Finnick hangs down the phone.

"Hi. Sorry to interrupt you but I need you"

"There was nothing to interrupt, I was doing some schemes don't worry. I'm glad your here"

Annie blushes and lowers her head, her hair falling in front of her like a curtain.

"How are you? And do come in"

"I'm fine thanks. You?"

God, she was nervous. She had absolutely no idea how to do this, but unfortunately she had to do this. It was for her last project, the one to bring to her final exam in her portfolio. And she needs Finnick, only him.

"Fine. You can sit on the chair here. I'll sit on the bed"

She does as he says and looks around. Finnick's room was similar to hers, except it wasn't in a mess. There was a shelf with encyclopedias in front of her and on the desk all his text books. She reads the titles _Marin ecosystems, advanced chemistry..._

"So why are you here?"

"Doyouwanttomodelforme?"

"What?"

"Do you want to model for me?"

"Like naked?"

Annie blushes beet red "No. Like clothed. Well technically speaking I need only your face, will you do it?"

"Yes, but only if you will come out with me"

She needs to paint him. There is no other solution than to accept. She needs this painting: it will leave everyone surprised and it will help her to reach a higher score. And Finnick is the only person on which the painting could be based of.

"I accept"

Those were the words Finnick had been waiting for in the last three years, and nothing could describe how he feels in that moment. He isn't sure about Annie's opinion about him, but going out as friends was a step forward from the disinterest from the last years. He is sure that Annie would have liked him one day, as soon as she would have found out how he really was. Not the arrogant self-centered flirt everyone thinks, but his true self. For the first time he feels like he actually has a chance.

"So what should I do?"

"Nothing, you can do what you want. I just need to look at you sometimes"

"Works for me"

"Ok, If I can go to grab what I need..."

"Sure"

While Annie goes to her room Finnick texts Johanna 'Have to cancel your club. Annie will go out with me. Tell you later'

* * *

Annie's painting becomes a hit. It is a black and white portrait of Finnick, made with a crayon. But she painted his eyes in their true colors, with shades of green, blue and grey to highlight them, in order to capture the sadness in them. She didn't pay much attention to Finnick before that afternoon, that's true, but when he talked to her or she passed by in the corridor, she saw his sadness. That kind of sadness that comes out when no one is looking.

And she captured it on paper which was her aim from the beginning.

She called it 'Unseen sadness' and everyone likes it, a few people cry and she is surprised, but then again it is an emotion everyone felt once in a life time. She gets the highest score, and the examination committee make her a lot of compliments and wished her good luck.

Finnick assists to her degree and they all pay them compliments for what a beautiful couple they are.

They stop correcting them, Annie stops correcting them because in the last months she fell in love with Finnick. She loved the way he smiled, the way he bit his lower lips when he concentrated on something, the way he laughed, the way the sun captured golden strains in his bronze hair. He makes her feel at ease and when she is with him all her inner sadness seemed to disappear.

So when that evening they are in her room because she starts packing her things up, she drops everything and goes to sit next to Finnick, who is on the bed watching her paintings.

"These are brilliant"

She turns her head towards Finnick and kisses him.

"I love you" she whispers in his ear.

Finnick grabs her and pulls her closer "I waited so long to hear it"

"I know and I am sorry" she says before lowering her face on his, and kiss him again.


End file.
